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McDonald鈥檚 has added聽鈥淪ignature Crafted鈥澛爐o its portfolio of available terms for upscale burgers, a group that already included 鈥淐hef Crafted鈥澛燼nd聽鈥淭asteCrafted.鈥澛燭he chain filed a federal trademark registration for 鈥淪ignature Crafted鈥� on Dec. 9, 2015.

鈥淭asteCrafted鈥� was first used by McDonald鈥檚 in聽April 2015聽for a customization platform smaller in scope than the 鈥淐reate Your Taste鈥� and tested by the Central Coast of California co-op (north of Los Angeles, from Santa Barbara to Paso Robles) and a few Oregon markets. Diners picked beef or grilled or fried chicken as their protein, chose one of three bun choices (artisan roll, sesame-seed bun or potato roll) and then selected one of three toppings packages. These are Bacon Clubhouse (bacon grilled onions), Pico Guacamole (guacamole and pico de gallo), Hot Jalape艌o (jalape艌o slices, pepper cheese and tomato) and Deluxe (red onion, tomato and lettuce).

In September, McDonald鈥檚 modified the toppings combinations and renamed the platform 鈥淐hef Crafted Flavors鈥� for a test in San Diego, Calif. The Pico Guacamole toppings continued but two new and more substantial combos were added: Buffalo Bacon (creamy blue cheese sauce with blue cheese crumbles, tangy buffalo sauce, applewood-smoked bacon, tomato and shredded green lettuce) and Maple Bacon Dijon (maple-seasoned bacon, savory grilled onions, slightly sweet honey Dijon sauce, creamy white Cheddar, leaf lettuce).

At the beginning of this month, McDonald鈥檚 extended the test to 600 restaurants across Southern California, reverting to the聽Taste Crafted聽(now two words) name. Curiously, local media covered Taste Crafted as though it were new to McDonald鈥檚 altogether rather than just new to Southern California. It isn鈥檛 new at all. The four toppings combos are the Pico de Gallo, Buffalo Bacon, Maple Bacon Dijon and Deluxe builds tested elsewhere. The table service component pf Taste Crafted isn鈥檛 new either since it dates at least to the Create Your Taste kiosk ordering system that is in McDonald鈥檚 across the country. Fancier burgers take longer, so they are brought out to diners.

Now comes 鈥淪ignature Crafted.鈥� McDonald鈥檚 traditionally responds to queries about trademarks with the cautionary admonition that the chain trademarks many terms, without necessarily using them. But the last term it had trademarked was聽鈥淢cPick,鈥澛爁or which a trademark registration was filed on Nov. 17, 2015. McPick is the name for McDonald鈥檚 new discount program. In test it has offered items as 鈥淢cPick 2 for $5鈥� or 鈥淢cPick 2 for $2.鈥�

The 鈥淪ignature Crafted鈥� term could be planned for use with a national rollout of the Chef Crafted/Taste Crafted customization program or it could be planned for use with something entirely different.

McDonald鈥檚 has used the 鈥淪ignature鈥� term recently both in the U.S. and overseas. As reported聽here, the chain tested a 鈥淪ignature Burger Mini Meal鈥� in Southern Wisconsin earlier. The deal offered a double-patty Signature Burger, small fries and soft drink for $4.69 as one of several discounted combos.

In the UK, McDonald鈥檚 last month began testing 鈥淭he Signature Collection,鈥� a trio (Classic, BBQ and Spicy) of high-end, 鈥渢hicker鈥� burgers on brioche buns in distinctive black packaging. The burgers initially were offered in just 28 stores but the company said in a release that it 鈥渋s set to roll out across the country next summer when the Signature Collection will become a permanent item on the menu in around 400 restaurants already refurbished as part of the ongoing 鈥楨xperience of the Future鈥� transformation programme.鈥�

McDonald鈥檚 used the term last year in Switzerland when it introduced a fancy 鈥淪ignature Menu鈥� in Switzerland, anchored by a 6.35-oz. burger called聽The Prime, created by Swiss celebrity chef Ren茅 Schudel. The Signature Menu returned to McDonald鈥檚 Swiss stores earlier this year, featuring The Classic burger.

So鈥︹�漇ignature Crafted鈥� could become the name for a new line of thick, top-priced burgers as in the UK and Switzerland; it could be the new name for the Taste Crafted platform; or it could be something completely different. Sit tight; 2016 should be interesting.

This article first appeared at Burger Business.